How to Maximize Small Kitchen Space
My first home had a teeny, tiny, nook of a kitchen. (Life challenge when you and your partner are both over 6ft tall and love to cook.) But tiny cooking spaces actually have a lot going for them. There are many small-space hacks to be found and with a little research (and my favorite place on Earth - IKEA), I was able to create a functional yet stylish kitchen.
Whether you're doing a full kitchen remodel or want to make a few simple upgrades, here are some small kitchen design tips and ideas:
Expose the cabinets
HGTV suggests open shelving to give your tight space a more open and airier feel. Plus, exposed cabinets give you a chance to display your best-looking kitchenware (plus it’s added encouragement to keep everything neat and organized.) If you're not a fan of open cabinets, glass doors can achieve the same feel of openness.
Go neutral or impactful on color
When it comes to your color palette, you have an important choice to make. Either go for the neutral colors that won't overwhelm the tiny space or commit to one statement color. Using multiple bold hues can crowd the space but highlighting your kitchen with a single bright color can actually detract from the size. Uniformity is key in a small space, so feel free to paint all the cabinets one color and accessorize with items in the same hue. Classic yet simple color schemes, like black and white, also work well in compact spaces.
Widen your walls
You can fool the eye into thinking your space is wider with a smart backsplash. House Beautiful suggests subway tiling, stacking the rectangle pieces horizontally to make your kitchen feel bigger. Once you have the tiles, here's how to install your new backsplash.
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Choose big floor tiles
Pro tip from the Spruce: Small flooring tiles will make your kitchen feel even smaller. Select bigger tiles for the desired opposite effect.
Lay down a rug
It may seem counterintuitive, but a rug can actually add warmth and color to your small kitchen, embracing the coziness of the space in the best way possible.
Be smart about the island
If you're set on having an island despite the limited square footage, you'll have to be strategic about choice and placement. The additional prep space is more than welcome, but functionality is an important element as well. For instance, an island that doubles as storage can help compensate for a lack of cabinet and counter space. Also, rolling islands are essentially tailor-made for compact kitchens. Check out these small kitchen island ideas form the Spruce for more inspiration.
Store the small appliances
Create more counter space and keep away the clutter by keeping your toaster, mixer and other small appliances hidden away inside the cabinets.
Install a pot rack
Pots and pans can eat up valuable real estate inside your cabinets, so install a rack to hang them up instead.
Lean on your appliances for more storage
Apartment Therapy offers this genius small-kitchen trick: Use your stove and fridge as additional surfaces. Your most-used pot, for instance, can live on the stovetop, or you can put a tray on one of the burners to store everyday spices, plants or other knickknacks. You can also attach hooks to the side of your fridge to hang towels and other kitchen tools. The top of the refrigerator also offers priceless surface space for small appliances, cookbooks, spillover snacks and other kitchenware.
Try it the galley way
Galley style is one of the most functional small kitchen layouts, as it allows you to take advantage of all the wall space and create an easy cooking flow. HGTV, for example, advises placing the cabinetry and appliances on opposite walls.
If new appliances are in your small kitchen decor plans, we have some buying guides to help you out:
- Best refrigerators of 2019 (so far)
- What refrigerator should I buy for my kitchen?
- Choosing the right oven/cooktop for your kitchen
- Replacing faucets: What you should know
For more help maximizing your small kitchen space, download these home design apps.
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